Seasonal Affective Disorder Alternative Treatment Options

It was natural for the mammals to go into hibernation during winter months and perhaps, this is the reason a lot of people have the urge to do the same when winter comes. There is a distinct desire to go to sleep and not to do anything at all.

This is called SAD, or seasonal affective disorder.

This is a type of depressive disorder and it is characterized by the mood changes that take place at the beginning of dark autumn months and aggravate deeper into winter. The symptoms tend to alleviate by spring when the amount of sunlight increases. The condition tends to repeat year after year.

There is a lot of information on the internet about this condition, its reasons and treatment. Here is the list of the alternative methods.

First of all it is essential that there is a lot of light around and colors as well. The thing is that with the advent of fall and winter everything turns grey and white and monosyllabic. Therefore, it is recommended to introduce as much light and color as possible into life. Add beautiful and inspiring things to your interior to please the eye.

Play your music out loud and sing and dance. Surround yourself with friends and people. Do not sit at home in isolation, make a move, go socialize. If you are depressed, do not watch sad stories and listen to sad music. Such things can only aggravate the condition instead of improving it.

It is very frequent that people in the state of SAD tend to find consolation in shopping and this is also fraught with financial problems. If you do not control yourself, you are likely to spend more than you can afford and buy more than you actually need.

Stay away from over thinking. This is the enemy of depressed people #1. It makes little sense to dwell on the things you cannot help ? like weather for instance. This is useless and exhausting. Much more constructive is to plan something nice or accomplish yourself with something new and exciting. You are less likely to dwell on negative sides of life when you are busy and inspired. When you are active and accomplished, you have little time to depress.

Junk Journalling also helps a lot. This is a special technique that presupposes that a person writes down all the negative thoughts coming to his or her mind 20 mins without any real considering what you think and how you writ. When the time is up, a person is suggested to analyze the writing. This is actually more effective than it may seem from the first sight. By analyzing your blues you can understand when the worst times are and when they are more likely to come and what to do with them.

Stop watching TV so much. It is not that beneficial as it may seem. The world depicted there is not realistic and it is not quite something to cheer you up.

Change your nutrition patterns. Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake, do sports, walk on foot more often and preferably not alone. It is recommended to avoid making any essential decisions in such a state of mind. This is not efficient as being depressed a person is unlikely to thing objectively.

SAD is not something that cannot be treated. There are effective treatments and one of them is light therapy and in many people it proved helpful. These tips can also be of great assistance.